Modern facilities for the generation, production, processing, and transmission of audio, video, and data are often composed of many interconnected pieces of equipment from different manufacturers. Control and monitoring of the many different pieces of equipment is a frequent problem. Although remote control protocols have been adopted to allow control of equipment from a remote location, different manufacturers often adopt vastly different protocols. Additionally, monitoring the output of the equipment is similarly difficult.
For example, in order to monitor the outputs of ten different units of video processing equipment, ten different cables must be employed to carry the separate video signals to the monitoring location. Then, ten monitors are required to view the video signals simultaneously. A video switcher can also be connected to the cables to select a single signal for viewing on one suitable display device. Or, for viewing several feeds simultaneously on a single monitor, a video multiplexer can be used, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,242, entitled “Television Special Effects Arrangement”. Although the use of a video switcher or a video multiplexer reduces the number of video monitors required, a separate cable is still required to carry the signal from the desired monitoring point to the selector or multiplexer. Since a typical facility can contain hundreds or thousands of different pieces of equipment, either massive cabling schemes must be implemented or monitoring capability must be limited to a few selected pieces of equipment.
Networking techniques have evolved to permit remote control of equipment. Manufacturer-specific control schemes have largely given way to standard-based control schemes using the Internet Protocol, such as SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). Equipment implementing a standard-based networking control protocol can be connected together on a single data communications network such as Ethernet and managed by a single operator station. Commands sent from the operator station are transmitted through the data communications network bearing an address specific to the unit of equipment being controlled. The unit of equipment may also transmit status and alarm information to other pieces of equipment or the operator station. Alternatively, a facility controlled in such a fashion may be operated remotely by an operator using a computer connected through the Internet.
However, the standards-based methods do not provide a method for monitoring the streams of video, audio and/or data being generated, switched, or processed by the equipment in the facility.